A new tool which allows patients to see performance figures of NHS surgeons across England has been launched today (19th November).
The new online tool, called MyNHS, enables individuals to search for information on around 5,000 surgeons, including death rates for their patients, for free. Users access the tool through the MyNHS website where they can locate their nearest NHS hospital. From there they can check individual departments and consultants’ performance as well as its Care Quality Commission national standards checks.
Among the information on display is the hospital’s mental health, social care and public health ratings.
Of particular interest to consumers is the ability to search for consultants by name and location. And data on particular types of surgery will be added to the site, including head and neck procedures, upper-gastro intestinal surgery and neurosurgery in early December. Much of the data is already available elsewhere but MyNHS is the first time it has been collated in one place.
The tool has been developed by NHS England, the Department of Health, the Health and Social Care Information Service, the Care Quality Commission and Public Health with the aim of improving standards in the NHS, reduce negligence and give patients more choice for their care.
However, some surgeons’ groups have warned some specialist consultants may avoid taking on certain procedures due to concerns over mortality rates and the risks involved. They also stated the database might not have every procedure on it making the figures misleading. It also fails to take into account how long patients had to stay in hospital and how many times they had to return, and certain other factors which are important when looking at whether or not an individual surgeon is responsible for a patient’s death.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has put his support behind the initiative and said he has “ordered” all hospitals to reveal their cancer survival rates in a bid to promote transparency among NHS health providers in England. From 2015 all hospitals in England must publish their survival rates for the four most common cancers in the country: lung, breast, bowel and prostate. Mr Hunt will also making it law for hospitals to share their data on the MyNHS website in the future.
According to NHS England, mortality rates among surgeons are where there are expected to be over the 13 specialities covered on the site, which include heart, bariatric and orthopaedic surgery. Patients can also find out whether clinical outcomes for surgeons are within each procedure’s expected limits. NHS England’s medical director Sir Bruce Keogh stated surgeons who refuse to disclose their patient death rates will eventually receive penalties. Around 2,500 have refused to take part so far.
Private health care providers are not included in the data.
MyNHS can be accessed at www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/performance/search.
If you think you or someone you know may have been the victim of medical negligence and would like some help and advice, please visit our dedicated website: www.medicalnegligence-solicitors.com. You can also contact us online here.